Soon, on the execution ground outside the imperial prison, guards were on duty everywhere. However, these guards had all been handpicked by Li Si as his most trusted aides, so there was no possibility of any information leaking. The news of Guo Kai’s capture would only be witnessed by this handful of individuals.
At this mont, Guo Kai was lying on the ground, surrounded by five horse-drawn carts. His four limbs and his head were all tied to the vehicles.
Dismbernt by chariots. It was also known in later eras as being torn apart by five horses. This was the most brutal form of punishnt of the age.
"I don’t want to die!"
"I don’t want to die!"
"King of Qin!"
"I am willing to swear loyalty to Qin! I beg the King of Qin to spare my life!"
"King of Qin..."
Even now, Guo Kai could only cry out for rcy amidst his despair. He did not want to die. He still had countless riches to spend, nurous concubines yet to enjoy, and a life of great wealth and honor ahead of him. He didn’t want to die.
"Guo Kai, your cris are unforgivable."
"By order of the Tingwei, you are to be executed by dismbernt."
"Carry out the sentence imdiately!" Li Si declared, tossing a token toward Guo Kai.
When the token hit the ground, Guo Kai struggled even more frantically.
"No, don’t kill !"
"I don’t want to die!"
"Tingwei Li!"
"King of Qin!"
"Spare , please!"
"I don’t want to die..."
Guo Kai trembled uncontrollably, so frightened that he wet himself, a puddle forming beneath him. The mont just before death was the most terrifying of all.
Seeing this, Li Si and Yu Liao exchanged a glance, both with a faint smile on their faces. This scare had thoroughly frightened Guo Kai to the depths of his soul.
Having reached this point, Li Si knew the ti was right.
With a wave of his hand, several prison guards untied the ropes binding Guo Kai.
Guo Kai was still struggling, not even aware that he had been released.
"Guo Kai, your fear of death truly lacks the dignity of a Pri Minister!" Li Si and Yu Liao walked up to Guo Kai, the forr speaking with a mocking tone.
Hearing Li Si’s voice, Guo Kai barely managed to pull himself back from his terror and despair. He opened his eyes and saw the two n.
Guo Kai looked as miserable as could be, his face streaked with tears and a dark stain on his trousers below. As the Pri Minister of a nation, his status was incredibly honorable. Generally, those who held this office possessed an accompanying deanor, one they would never lose. Even when faced with an executioner’s blade, their dignity would remain intact. But Guo Kai’s behavior was nothing like that of a Pri Minister; he was simply a coward terrified of death, showing none of the dignity expected of his rank. Perhaps in the entire world, only Guo Kai was like this.
Seeing Guo Kai, who was now too frightened to even speak, Yu Liao spoke up. "Are you truly willing to serve Qin, to serve the Great King?"
"I am!"
"I am truly willing!"
At this critical juncture, how could Guo Kai refuse? Saving his own life was all that mattered.
"Very well," Yu Liao added. "As long as you divulge the secrets of the Zhao state and sign a pledge of service to Qin, the Great King will grant you amnesty."
"I am willing! I’ll speak right now," Guo Kai nodded imdiately.
"Good." Li Si smiled with satisfaction. "Follow this Tingwei."
The reason the two had frightened Guo Kai was to make him serve Qin. Furthermore, this service naturally required holding leverage over him, forcing him to comply. Even if he were to return to the Zhao state later, he would not dare to disobey. After all, for a petty man like Guo Kai, so-called loyalty was a complete joke.
Afterward, inside the main hall of the Imperial Prison, Li Si handed Guo Kai several blank silk manuscripts and told him to write.
"Pri Minister Guo, write down as many secrets about the Zhao state as you know, and about yourself as well. Lastly, you are to write a silk manuscript pledging your loyalty to Qin.
"In summary, as long as what you write is to the satisfaction of this Tingwei and the Shaofu, the two of us will petition the Great King to pardon you.
"If, however, you write poorly or attempt to falsify anything, then do not bla this Tingwei for not giving you a chance," Li Si said, his tone threatening.
"I will write well!"
"I will serve Qin with all my heart," Guo Kai nodded repeatedly.
He had just been on the execution ground, monts away from being torn apart by chariots. Now that he was still alive, Guo Kai treasured his life all the more. For him, as long as he could survive, all notions of loyalty could go to hell.
"Write, then."
Li Si waved his hand and took a seat.
Ti passed. Over two hours later, Guo Kai finally finished writing, with Li Si and Yu Liao taking turns reading his work.
"Who would have thought there were so many hidden affairs in the Zhao state," Yu Liao said with a smile. "If not for Guo Kai, we would never have known any of this."
"Indeed," Li Si also laughed. "Pri Minister Guo has proven to be of great use."
Hearing these words, a flattering smile appeared on Guo Kai’s face. "Thank you both for the praise."
"Guards!" Li Si called to a prison guard. "Prepare a set of fine clothes for Pri Minister Guo. Take him to bathe and change, and then we shall have an audience with the Great King."
"Yes, sir!" the guard imdiately responded.
「So ti later, at Zhangtai Palace!」
"Your servant, Guo Kai, pays his respects to the Great King!"
"May Qin last for ten thousand years, and the Great King for ten thousand years!"
As soon as Guo Kai entered the grand hall, he imdiately bowed in obeisance to Ying Zheng. He carried himself exactly like a loyal official of Qin, not at all like the Pri Minister of the Zhao state.
"I have read the silk manuscripts you wrote," Ying Zheng said with a faint smile. "You are very sincere. Since you are willing to pledge your loyalty to , I accept your service."
Hearing this, Guo Kai breathed a deep sigh of relief, knowing his life was finally spared.
"Your servant vows to serve the Great King to the death!" Guo Kai proclaid loudly, kowtowing deeply.
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